CHAPTER 54: CH 54: THE OPPORTUNITY- PART 1

After bribing—eh, reaching a mutual understanding with the teacher, Fenrir finally left the teacher’s lounge.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling oddly light despite being three million credits lighter. Honestly, it was worth it.

No more lectures, no more attendance hounding, and he could focus on what actually mattered.

He was barely past the first hallway when he stopped.

A strange, lingering presence trailed behind him.

Faint. Subtle.

But definitely there. His instincts sharpened, honed by dungeon combat and more than a few assassination attempts in his past life. Someone was nearby, trying not to be seen.

He considered walking away. He really did.

His logical brain screamed at him not to get involved. But curiosity—it always won.

And so, against his better judgment, Fenrir cloaked his presence using an artifact, pressed close to the shadows, and followed the barely perceptible movement down the halls.

It didn’t take long to spot them.

Dain and Elaine.

The two were sneaking around, whispering between themselves as they approached the building that housed the dungeon exploration club.

Or rather, used to house it.

The club had been shut down after the Betty incident, and the entire wing was supposed to be off-limits.

’So why are they here?’

Fenrir followed, silent as a shadow.

They reached the locked door, and Dain pulled out something from his coat. A keycard? A bypass token? He wasn’t sure.

But it worked, and the door slid open with a soft click. Fenrir got close enough to hear them talking clearly now, their words bouncing off the dim corridor walls.

"I can’t believe we lost that scroll. That was the only thing that could’ve cleared my debt. That was the only thing that could’ve cleared my debt."

Elaine muttered, voice tight with frustration.

"We’ll get another shot. Don’t worry. I’ve got your back."

Dain said, his tone reassuring.

"Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s about to be sold off if the money doesn’t come in."

Fenrir raised a brow.

’Sold off?’

That escalated quickly.

Clearly, Elaine was in a situation far worse than he’d thought. Still, he was just about ready to leave. He’d seen enough. This was clearly messy, and he didn’t want to be involved.

He turned to go.

But a footstep echoed wrong, too loud in the quiet hall.

Dain spun around like a wolf catching a scent. His eyes narrowed instantly when he spotted Fenrir.

"You!"

He shouted, stepping forward. His aura flared slightly, and for a moment, it looked like he might strike.

Instinctively, Fenrir tensed, hand drifting near his side where his artifact gauntlet rested.

But Dain froze halfway through, recognition flickering in his expression.

"Oh crap—wait. Fenrir?"

Fenrir just raised a brow. Dain’s aggressive stance dropped instantly, replaced by a sheepish grin.

"Haha, sorry, man. Reflexes, you know? Didn’t mean to startle you."

Elaine also looked surprised, but less apologetic. Her eyes narrowed like she didn’t believe Fenrir just happened to be there.

Fenrir gave them both a lazy shrug.

"Didn’t expect to see anyone here. I was just heading back."

Dain laughed nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, we were just... uh... exploring! You know. The usual."

"Sure. I didn’t see anything. I’ll be going now."

Fenrir replied flatly, not bothering to pretend he believed them.

He took a step toward the hallway exit—only for the overhead lights to flicker.

Then die out completely.

All at once, the hallway plunged into darkness. A soft mechanical click echoed nearby—the unmistakable sound of magnetic locks engaging.

Elaine groaned.

"Ugh! Don’t tell me the system started shutting down already!"

"I thought we had another hour. Damn it. Must be running an auto-schedule reset."

Dain muttered, checking his watch.

They were locked in.

Fenrir sighed.

"Figures."

"Well, looks like we’re stuck until morning."

Dain said awkwardly.

Elaine crossed her arms and muttered something under her breath. Fenrir just leaned back against the wall, pulling out his phone to check for any signal—none, of course.

"This just keeps getting better."

He murmured to himself.

Neither of the others spoke. Elaine looked irritated. Dain looked like he wanted to smooth things over but had no idea how.

Fenrir glanced at the two of them, then shook his head.

’Next time, I’m listening to my instincts.’

Elaine groaned loudly, her frustration echoing in the now-dark hallway.

"We don’t have time for this! I need to get that money fast, or everything goes to hell."

Dain glanced at her, then at Fenrir. His eyes seemed to silently remind her that they weren’t alone.

"Let’s just... keep calm. We’ll figure something out."

Fenrir leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching them without any particular interest. But inside, he was already growing tired of the drama.

He had planned a quiet day—well, as quiet as his days ever were—but here he was, stuck in a school building after hours with two emotionally charged teenagers.

He sighed.

"All right, let’s just end this. How much do you need?"

He said, pushing off the wall and walking over.

Elaine blinked, caught off guard.

"What?"

"You said you need money. I have money. So, how much? If it’ll shut you up and end this little tantrum, I’m happy to cover it."

He asked, voice flat, business-like.

Elaine’s eyes widened, and for a split second, she looked like she might actually answer.

But then her face twisted with humiliation and anger.

"I’m not for sale. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can throw it at people and fix things."

She snapped, voice low but sharp, each word laced with fury.

Fenrir shrugged.

"Never said I could fix you. Just the situation."

That only seemed to make it worse.

Elaine’s eyes glinted with something unreadable, and then she turned on her heel.

"Forget it. I’ll figure it out myself."

She stalked off, disappearing down the hallway with brisk, angry footsteps.

Dain scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry about that. She’s been under a lot of pressure lately."

"Yeah, I gathered from her behaviour."

Fenrir said dryly.

Dain didn’t stick around. He mumbled something about checking on her and jogged after Elaine, leaving Fenrir alone in the dim corridor.

He sighed again, this time deeper.

"People really shouldn’t let pride get in the way of common sense. If you need help, take it."

He muttered, shaking his head.

The hallway was silent now, save for the occasional mechanical hum from the school’s automated systems and the flickering emergency lights.

With nothing better to do and no interest in getting caught in the awkwardness again, Fenrir glanced around once more, then pulled up his system interface.

There was no reason to waste time sitting here doing nothing when he could be farming.

"Guess I’ll head to my dungeon."

He murmured, activating the gate function embedded in one of his equipped artifacts.

A faint blue shimmer lit the air in front of him. The dungeon gate swirled open, forming a portal that crackled softly with mana.

Without hesitation, Fenrir stepped through.

The moment he disappeared, a red warning light began flashing in the school corridor.

A sharp beep echoed from the ceiling speakers, followed by a female voice—clearly automated—stating:

[Warning. Unauthorized dimensional gate detected. Initiating lockdown protocol. All exits sealed. Notify security immediately.]

The siren wailed louder, and within seconds, the entire school was illuminated in red light.

But Fenrir was already gone—oblivious to the chaos he’d unintentionally triggered.